1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for selectively locking a fin assembly in a chosen configuration. In one aspect, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for selectively locking a fin assembly in a folded configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Airborne and sea-going vehicles are often used to deliver a payload to a target location or to carry the payload over a desired area. For example, rockets, missiles, torpedoes, and other projectiles may be used in combat situations to deliver explosive warheads, kinetic energy penetrators, or other payloads to destroy or disable the target. Surveillance vehicles may carry a payload designed to sense certain conditions surrounding the vehicle, such as objects on the ground or weather conditions.
Such vehicles may include a plurality of fins for controlling their trajectories during flight. As the vehicle travels through the air or water, the attitude of the fins is adjusted to change the flight path of the vehicle. In the interest of space economy, however, it is generally desirable for the vehicle to be stored with its fins folded prior to its deployment. For example, a projectile's fins may be folded so that the diameter of the firing tube from which the projectile is deployed may be smaller than otherwise required. Accordingly, a mechanism is needed to hold each of the fins in the folded configuration and to release each of the fins so that they may unfold into an operational configuration.
Conventional fins may be retained in their folded configuration by some type of mechanism external to the projectile, such as a wire, a band, or a hook. In many cases, the mechanism is released from the projectile body after the fins are unfolded, thus presenting a potential debris problem for the surrounding environment. Further, some launch tubes employ additional fin restraint devices that are ejected after the projectile leaves the launch tube. These restraint devices also pose problems for the surrounding environment, as they may impact the launch platform or other surrounding equipment.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing, the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above.